Wednesday, February 24, 2010

10 Rules of Writing, from authors for The Guardian

GREAT and funny article on "10 Rules of Writing" by such authors as Elmore Leonard, Diana Athill, Margaret Atwood, Roddy Doyle, Neil Gaiman, etc. Here are some gems:

Margaret Atwood, #7: "You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality. This latter means: there's no free lunch. Writing is work. It's also gambling. You don't get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but essentially you're on your own. Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don't whine."

Roddy Doyle, #10: "Do spend a few minutes a day working on the cover biog – "He divides his time between Kabul and Tierra del Fuego." But then get back to work."

Geoff Dyer, #2: "...I've developed an aversion to writing in public. I now think it should be done only in private, like any other lavatorial activity."

Anne Enright, #3: "Only bad writers think that their work is really good."

Neil Gaiman, #5: "Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong."

PD James, #3: "Don't just plan to write – write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style."